I'm going to call myself cynical on this one and suggest that Verizon Wireless has just shot down a trial balloon. Earlier this year, big banks were also compelled to ditch plans to charge customers higher debit-card fees, so Big Red had to know what it was up against.

But why not make the announcement, as a form of real-world market research? Customers have spoken.

Previously in The Breakdown

The Breakdown explains what's behind Southern California business and economic news. It describes the effects the headlines have on you: whether you're an investor, a business owner, an employee, homeowner, consumer or just someone who wants to know how to save a buck.